Statement from Texas' Six Chancellors on Campus Sexual Assault Legislation

We applaud the Texas Legislature, with a special recognition of Senators Kirk Watson
and Joan Huffman and Representatives Carol Jeff Leach, Carol Alvarado, J.M. Lozano
and John Zerwas for authoring legislation during the 85th Session that addressed the very important issue of campus sexual misconduct.

Our Systems stand committed to creating a safe environment for students and employees
across our institutions. The legislation offered during the 85th Session, some of which passed and is now before Governor Abbott, complements what
we currently do on our campuses related to allegations of sexual misconduct, including
sexual assault, sexual harassment and dating violence.

Our institutions will maintain our robust reporting and support mechanisms to cover
instances of sexual misconduct and policies to address the critical issues that arise
in these situations. These practices and policies cover several important areas, including:

Support and counseling services for survivors through a variety of outlets, such as
campus counseling and psychological services, silent witness programs, and community
partnerships;

Awareness, prevention and education initiatives, like bystander intervention initiatives,
peer educator training, outreach workshops, and participation in national efforts
to put an end to sexual misconduct on college campuses;

Coordinated response protocols to reports of sexual harassment, stalking, dating violence,
and unwanted sexual contact, involving entities such as our equal opportunity services
offices, Title IX coordinators and offices, and campus police departments to ensure
a fair and equitable process for all students involved; and

Professional training for employees and students that covers university policies related
to sexual misconduct, as well as information on how to speak up when incidents of
sexual harassment, relationship violence, or sexual misconduct are observed or suspected.

As Chancellors, we are responsible to our students and employees to ensure our campuses
are safe. We stand committed to working with the Texas Legislature, survivor groups
and others in the interim to ensure that our sexual misconduct policies are reviewed
on an annual basis and that our reporting and compliance are even more efficient and
robust.

Headquartered in Lubbock, Texas, the Texas Tech University System is a $2 billion
enterprise focused on advancing higher education, health care, research and outreach
with approximately 20,000 employees, more than 50,000 students, nearly 325,000 alumni
and an endowment over $1.1 billion.

In its short history, the Texas Tech University System has grown tremendously and
is nationally acclaimed, operating on more than a dozen campuses statewide and internationally.
Under the dynamic leadership of Chancellor Robert L. Duncan, the Texas Tech University System has set forth a bold vision of excellence, collaboration
and innovation and continues to prove that from here, it’s possible.